From an environmental viewpoint and cost considerations associated therewith, there are a growing number of objections to the use of chips of plastic material and shredded paper as filling material in packagings.
Known from the international applications WO94/07678 and WO91/12175 are methods and devices for filling with air small cushions which, individually or as a mutually adhered series, can be used as filling material. After use the volume of these cushions can be reduced and the plastic material removed, for instance to be re-used.
A problem of this known device and method relates to the arranging of holes in sufficiently reliable manner in a tubular foil from which the cushions are made. It has been found in practice that many formed air cushions do not have a sufficient air filling, for example because during piercing of a hole two holes are pierced in the tube form, wherein the air will escape through the second hole. Furthermore, with the known device and method equipment is required for injecting air under pressure.